Vanity box



Patented A r. 16, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT I. MCKNIGHT AND PHILIP A. REUTTER, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, AS-.

SIGNORS T0 SCOVILL MANUFAGTUgING COMPANY, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUTT .A. CORPORATION OF CONN ECTICUT.

VANITY BOX.

Application filed March 31, 1927. Serial No. 179,826.

i This invention relates to certain improvements in vanity boxes or cases.

These vanity boxes or cases have come in to wide use for conveniently carryin cosmetics such as compacts of face pow er or rouge. These boxes include a body and a cover usually pivotally associated with the body. When not in use, the parts are in closed position and, to get at the contents of the box, the box has to be opened by releas ing a catch. Thus the opening-movement of boxes as heretofore constructed required the use of both hands, one hand to hold the box and to release the catch, and the other hand to raise the coverand open the box after the catch had been released.

It is the especial object of the present invention to produce a box construction having a body and a cover pivotally associated by a hinge and held in closed position by a catch and an improved spring construction which will act on the release of the catch to cause the cover to rise to open or partially open position, so that the box may be manipulated by one hand. I

A further object of the invention is to produce a spring catch construction for boxes of this character in which the spring is so arranged and so operated as not to 1nterfere with the placing of a compact in the box body.

With these and other objects not specifically referred to in view, the invention consists in certain novel parts, arrangements and combinations which will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel features pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings,-

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved box, the parts being shown in open position' Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing the position of the parts when the box is closed, and

Figure 3 is a sectional view showing the position of the parts at the start of the closing movement of the cover.

Referring now to these drawings, the invention may be embodied in boxes of widely varying shapes and arrangement of body and cover. The particular box selected to illustrate the invention is a box capacitated to hold a powder compact, that is, powder or rouge compacted or molded onto a suitable base which is removable from the box, such compacts being well known in the art. As shown, the box includes a body 1 and a closure or cover 2 pivotally associated with the body by a hinge 3. In the particular box illustrated, the body is provided with a peripheral wall 4 and the cover is provided with a peripheral wall 5. The box is held closed by a catch including a part having a projection 6, which engages in a recess 7 formed in the cover, and a manually operable release 8, which extends through an opening 9 in the wall 4 of the body, this catch acting to hold the parts in closed relation.

In accordance with the invention, means are provided whereby the cover will move to open or partially open position upon release of the catch, so that the box may be opened with one hand. While. the-specific means may be somewhat varied, they will include a spring which is put under tension by the closin of the cover, and this spring is of such form and so arranged that it may be assembled in the box and put under the required tension without interfering with a compact placed in the box body.

In the particular construction illustrated, there is provided a spring member in the form of a thin narrow strip of flexible metal, marked 10. In order that the strip may not interfere with a compact placed in the box, it is secured to the side wall 4 of the box body and will be shaped to conform to the shape of the wall. Where, as in the present instance, the box is circular, the spring strip will have a corresponding configuration.

This strip is secured at one end to the side wall of the box in any suitable manner, as by rivets 11, the other end 12 of the strip being free and being, preferably, somewhat reduced, as indicated at 13 in Figure 2, so as to form a very flexible end. This free end 12 is what may be termed the torsion end of the spring, and the cover is provided with a member which, when the cover-is closed, engages the torsion end of the spring and puts the spring under tension, so that when the catch is released the spring will throw the cover to open or partly open position.

While this member may be" associated in various ways with the cover, a convenient one is that shown, in which a part of the hinge is formed to aot'as a cam engaging the spring and putting it under tension when the cover is closed. Asshown, the hinge includes a pair of straps 14, 15 suitably secured, as by soldering, to the cover and body of the box, and these straps are bent to form interengaging knuckle loops 16, 17 which are united'by a pintle pin 18.

One of the knuckles is not bent'to form a loop, but isleft straight, as indicated at 19 in Figure 1, and forms'in ett'ect a cam. iThis cam piece 19 extends inwardly, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and, as the cover closes,

engages the free or torsion end 12 of the strip, moving this strip inwardly. It will also be observed that, on account of the strip being free, the strip is to some extent twiste or turned over by the action of the cam piece 19, so that a sufiicient tension is obtained without the strip being pushed inwardly so far as to interfere with a curved compact located in the case. The reverse movement of the end of the strip causes the cover to rise to the position shown in Figure 3, and this can be done by the use of only one hand.

If desired, the cover may be provided with an article, as a mirror 20, held in place by the usual friction bezel or ring 21.

While the box has been shown and described in its preferred form, it will be understood that the box may be varied widely as to shape and inner arrangement, and the specific form of the spring and its operat ing mechanism may be varied without departing from the invention as defined in the claims hereunto appended.

What we claim is:

1. In a vanity box, the combination of a body having a peripheral wall and a bottom and capacitated to receive a powder compact, a cover pivotally associated with the body, a catch for holding these parts in closed relation, a spring strip secured to the side wall of the box intermediate the bottom and the top of the wall and having a free end, and an actuator carried by the cover engaging the free end of the strip and acting to effect an inward turning movement of the free end of the strip as the cover is closed and thus put the strip under tension sufiicient to raise the cover when the catch is released.

2. In a vanity box, the combination of a body having a peripheral wall, a cover pivotally united therewith, a manually operable catch for holding these parts in closed relation, a spring strip secured to the side wall of the box above the bottom and having a free end, and a cam member carried by the cover of the boxengaging the free end of the strip and acting to efi'ect turning movement of the strip as the cover is closed and thus put the stri under tension sufficient to raise the cover w en the catch is released.

3. In a Vanity box, the combination of a body having a peripheral wall, a cover, a catch for holding these parts in closed relation, a spring strip secured to the side wall of the box above its bottom and having a reduced free end, a hin e uniting the cover and body, and a cam Forming part of the hinge engaging the free portion of the strip and acting to eflect a turning movement of the strip as the cover is closed and thus put the strip under tension sufiicient to raise the cover when the catch is released.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands.

ROBERT I. MoKNIGI-IT. PHILIP A, REUTTER. 

